Experiencing King Uses Technology, Art to Showcase Magnitude of MLK

Hundreds of people came to NC State over the weekend to experience Martin Luther King Jr. anew.

Blending digital humanities innovation with the performing and visual arts, Experiencing King at NC State served as a unique showcase of King’s extraordinary impact on the state’s and nation’s struggle for civil rights.

Actors Danny Glover and Felix Justice kicked things off on Sept. 16 with a performance of “An Evening with Martin and Langston.” The show drew audiences inside the worlds of two of the greatest orators of the 20th century: King (portrayed by Justice) and Langston Hughes (portrayed by Glover).

Experiencing King continued on Saturday, Sept. 17, with a series of immersive events at NC State’s James B. Hunt Jr. Library. Walking tours throughout the day highlighted digital humanities initiatives led by NC State faculty, including English professor Jason Miller’s “King’s First Dream” and Origin of the Dream projects and communication professor Victoria Gallagher’s “Virtual MLK Project.” Saturday’s events also included the unveiling of original artwork by renowned painter Synthia SAINT JAMES and a conversation with MLK biographer and Pulitzer Prize-winning author David Garrow.